WWOOF; An Alternative Travel Experience as a Farm Volunteer

What’s one of the best ways to experience and see the world affordably? The answer is WWOOF-ing. WWOOF literally stands for World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. Sometimes it’ referred to as willing workers on organic farms. The idea behind being a WWOOFer is to absorb the local culture and see more rural parts of the world. The program I’m eyeing up is four weeks in Tuscany, only 8 miles from the Mediterranean and has free stay and food (which is cooked by a retired chef and is supposed to be “heavenly”).

So what will I have to do to be a WWOOFer? It depends; tasks can change from farm to farm. The tasks are not too difficult but don’t expect an easy vacation, you still need to work about 5-6 hours a day. Many people (WWOOFers) use WWOOF-ing as a cheap way to travel from region to region. This is an easier task for those in Europe. Some have gone from England to France to southern Italy.

Why should I WWOOF? It’s a good way to learn about a culture, help learn a foreign language, meet people, and a good way to get free food and a place to lay your head under the stars. Most programs ask you to be there for a few weeks to a month, in order to get a feel for the daily farming life at your site. World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, want to give volunteers an experience in organic and eco-friendly farming and harvesting techniques. It’s a way for them to get an extra hand on the farm or sometimes the vineyard and promote the organic farming industry.

Are there WWOOF-ing sites in…? The answer is yes, they are everywhere and you could be a farm volunteer in Thailand harvesting orgnic coffee beans or picking plums in Oregon. So wherever you want to go, take a look for some World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms or WWOOF sites. Their website has a lot of places to check out, so take a look at www.wwoof.org and try an alternative way to see the world.